By Michael-Azeez Ogunsiji, Abeokuta
The Ogun State Police command on Wednesday recorded another milestone as its apprehended a 23-years old notorious cultist, Gbenga Ogunsanya a.k.a. “Spartacus” and 30 others who have been terrorizing Abeokuta metropolis for some months now.
“Spartacus”, a member of the Aiye Confraternity, had allegedly killed more than nine people between March 2017, when he was initiated into the cult group, till date.
Parading the suspect at the Police headquarters, Eleweran in Abeokuta, the Ogun Police Commissioner, CP Ahmed Iliyasu said “at the mention of his code name, everybody trembled and look for escape route. He appeared at social functions with his men without any recourse, smash vehicles’ windscreen and attack people with axe”.
CP Iliyasu said, ” Spartacus ” and his gang have unleashed terror on fun seekers at the popular _Ori-Omi_ fun spot, Ita Iyalode, Abeokuta on December 31, 2017 during crossover night, adding that the suspected cult leader who claimed to have been initiated into the cult group on 30th May, 2017, was arrested on the 12th March, 2018 by the men of Federal SARS who had been on his trail.
While speaking with Journalists, “Spartacus” stated that he dropped out of Secondary School, confessing that he also belonged to Aiye cult group and he moved around the city of Abeokuta with a squad of 30 members, all armed with different weapons.
Another suspected criminal paraded by the Police boss was a 27 years-old cultist, Kayode Oreneye who severed the palms of another member of a rival cult group and 47 other suspects have been paraded by the Ogun state police command.
Oreneye, a member of the Eiye confraternity, allegedly trailed his victim, Shakiru a.k.a. “school boy” from Abeokuta the Ogun state capital to Ilaro, headquarters of the Yewa South local government area of the state where he killed him, severed his two palms amd later sold same for the sum of N5, 000 in February this year.
The Police Commissioner said luck ran against Oreneye when operatives of the Federal Anti Robbery Squad (F-SARS) apprehended him at a drinking joint within the Abeokuta metropolis, while he attempted to shoot the operatives to escape arrest.
Iliyasu said all the 48 suspected criminals were arested for offences ranging from armed robbery, cultism, rituals and murder among others within the past five weeks.
In the case of Oreneye, Iliyasu explained that the tiler and father of two had been on the wanted list of the police since February 2018 before he was arrested last month.
While speaking with newsmen, Oreneye, who confessed to committing the crime, said he killed the deceased because “school boy” had earlier killed four members of his own cult group, stressing that himself had on three occasions narrowly escaped being killed.
He alleged that the deceased was a member of the Aiye Confraternity and that each time he was caught by the police, he would present a psychiatric rehabilitation certificate to pretend that he was mentally derailed.
Other criminal suspects paraded by the Police boss include, two-men robbery gang, Lateef Folami and Benjamin Oforitse who robbed and dispossessed a bank customer of the sum of N500,000 along the Agbara Industrial area of the state, among others.
Iliyasu, however, called on authorities of Hospitals and other Medical Centres in the State not to reject anyone with gunshot wound, but should also endeavor to report such case to the police immediately after the admission of such victim.
The Commissioner warned that “owners of any Medical Centre/Hospital that reject victim of gunshot wound will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.”